


A Matter of Monsters

by blooms (brys)



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, F/F, F/M, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, M/M, Original Character(s), Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:02:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24215611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brys/pseuds/blooms
Summary: ── 𝐒𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐫, Castel Sanchez's life is hell.Majority of his family is home in Mexico or Arizona and life in the busy, fast-lanes of New York city seem to throw him off- and with the recently televised news of robberies-turned-murder, he only becomes more unsteady.Kai Park likes to believe that he keeps his humanity in check; despite being only half human, the other half a blood thirsty vampire. He was quite convinced that he was content being alone until he crossed paths with Castel Sanchez, who makes his undead heart beat a little faster.Castel and Kai completely shake one another's world and together, learn to view the human and vampire races in different perspectives. But what are they to do when the issue of what comes with life and who comes from death, threatens to break them apart?They decide to try and figure it out, one warm Chai Latte at a time.
Kudos: 3





	1. beforehand

❝ _I want to be with you_.

_It is as simple,_

_and as complicated as that._ ❞

**Charles Bukowski**


	2. kp - 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kai Park had been born twice.

Kai Park had been born twice.

Once on a bittersweet morning, the wind whipping past the window and shaking its frame, the sound louder than his little lungs could wail. His body grew warmer as his mother's fell colder.

Now that he was older, Kai understood now what his father meant when he said that Kai was a parasitic infant. Small, needy, clearly no regard for others as he took his mother's life in a selfish act- just so he could live his own.

The second time was on a lazy afternoon.

Kai's gums had been aching. Silas said that it was fine, and that the boy was probably just hungry. His appetite seemed to be nonstop and forever growing, though he himself had yet to see a growth spurt in years.

After gnawing and chewing on whatever was left inside the fridge, a foul taste entered his mouth. His brother had said he was just hungry, yet the bathroom mirror told another story.

There, he saw his mouth was bleeding but slivers of white were undeniably present against the red pooling every open crevice. Fangs were beginning to protrude from his gums, filling in the once blank space.

Preparing him for something new.

It had been nine years since that new life had taken Kai by storm- yet he felt no fear or reluctance to change. 

Instead, he found the boy in the coffee shop, a few blocks away from his home, much more frightening.

How could Kai allow for somehow who he didn't even _know_ , make him feel these things? Butterflies were swirling in his stomach, begging to fly from his throat- yet underneath that, there was another primal hunger that Kai Park was sure only Castel Sanchez could fulfill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I'm so excited to share my first original work on this platform! Literally cannot wait to post chapters and reveal Castel and Kai's story in their world of vampires. I hope you all enjoy the heart-wrenching story that's going to unfold. (The first chapter is intentionally short!)


	3. kp - 2

There was something methodical about the snow falling, passing Kai's view, that finally roused him from his sleep. Once he opened his eyes, he was greeted with the sight of the city that was forever moving.

The snow was bright, coming down in quick flurries and Kai felt the pure white sky to be piercing against his sensitive irises.

Yes, at first glance, having his bed placed _directly_ against the only window in his bedroom proved to be a bad idea. Kai's natural anatomy made his eyes delicate to the sun so most days, waking up to the bright sky was an unpleasant feeling.

In the winter months he was extra, yet he became burnt and too hot in the summer- the heat seemed to magnify and become more intense as the sun shone through the window. The lack of curtains turned into a lack of privacy, too. Honestly, the list of negatives outweighed the pros.

Yet Kai found that nothing could beat the feeling of soft sun rays warming his cheeks, pushing him to begin his day. Especially on the quiet mornings, where the world was still and time appeared to freeze, just for him.

He was quite content on staying inside, as he thought on the subject of getting up once more. The blanket was so warm and inviting and the floor was so far away... and after being forced to take an internship, his off days were now fairly limited.

If he knew it would've come to this, Kai would've stayed in college. Balancing eighteen credits was much less of a hell than dealing with Silas' and his ridiculous requests at the shop.

"Ugh I hate him. Aris, it's official. Next time you see Silas chew off his fingers." Kai plopped the covers back over his head, trying to melt back into his pillow and fall into his previous dream.

His dream where he was greeted with warm brown hands, a mess of dark curls tickling his nose, all belonging too- "Actually, it's coffee time." Kai plopped up from his sheets, face and cheeks becoming rosy at the thoughts that shouldn't be plaguing his mind at the start of the morning. He turned to peer at Aristorat, his pet rat who lived in a large cage across his bedroom, who appeared to be sleeping in.

Even the rat enjoyed Kai's free days better than he did.

"Kai you're a literal mess." He spoke aloud to himself as his feet grazed the cold wooden floor and he padded his way to the bathroom. After hitting the light switch, which made sure to make a show of sputtering before finally flickering on, Kai began his morning routine.

This consisted of him washing his face with a random hand soap and brushing his teeth- but there was a different aspect to himself that made him pause as he gazed into the mirror.

His dark circles were increasing, standing out against his pale complexion. There was no vibrancy or bounce to his hair, the blackness and usual life to his locks appeared to turn to a dull gray. Hell, even at the simple task of brushing his own teeth, Kai's fangs had popped out and refused to go back into place.

His fangs were meant to be hidden to the world, not free.

Kai knew this wasn't something he could keep putting off. He could only live off of coffee, red meat and spicy ramen for so long and soon he'd need to feed or else his cravings would get only worse.

"Okay, okay I have a game plan," he spoke to himself once more, feet creeping off of the freezing tiled bathroom floor as he made his way to the kitchen in order to start his Keurig. He was careful to grab his favorite mug from his kitchen shelf (it was all black with the phrase 'I'm Ratical' written on top, and an image of the most rad rat Kai had ever seen on the bottom) before letting the coffee brew, and then heading to his closet- which only took a matter of seconds.

Why must New York apartments be _so_ small yet _so_ expensive?

Kai's fingers pushed past the name brand articles of clothing, gifts that were forced upon him by his brother, and reached towards the back to grab a tattered green turtleneck, then a loose black sweater to go on top.

It was going to be a quick trip and then he'd be back in his room, teaching Aris how to play the miniature drum set that Kai had built.

First, he'd go to Eternal Ink and hound Silas and Aurora into helping him with his current eating predicament. Then, he'd hit up the grocery stores and get his much needed supplies of hot ramen and more sweet treats.

_Dark curly hair, sweet and small freckles._

...and then just maybe, Kai would allow himself to indulge in his latest habit.

A single visit couldn't hurt, right? A few blocks down from his apartment, there stood a single cafe that held Kai's current interest. No, the coffee wasn't superb and the atmosphere was nothing above average or memorable.

But the cafe did have Castel Sanchez, and that most definitely, made the visit much more enjoyable and worth trudging in the slushy snow.

"Right." He muttered to himself. "I deserve to treat myself. Their snickerdoodle cookies are to die for." The lies seemed to fall from Kai's mouth seamlessly.

Even if he ignored the real reason that he was going to the cafe, the soft feeling pooling in his stomach and bringing the red hue that was searing through his cheeks was enough to remind him of the truth.

✧

The foot tapping against the pavement only got louder as Kai stared down the 'closed' sign that was resting outside of Eternal Ink, one of New York's busiest tattoo parlors.

Silas had always said it was busy. Aurora, prone to never lie like Silas, also said it was always busy.

So why the hell was the place closed?

They literally worked Kai to the bone. If this was an official job, they would have violated so many worker _and_ human rights that Kai would've had the right to sue. He was currently, quite pissed off.

If the annoying tapping of his foot that seemed to speed up as he grabbed the phone from his jean pockets and searched for Silas' number didn't convey his frustration, maybe the high pitched " _Silas!_ " That poured from Kai's lips, did.

"Good morning baby bro." There was still hints of sleep in Silas' deep voice which only spun Kai even tighter. He could be sleeping right now, too, and be drifting into a world where his thoughts were much warmer than the air outside.

"Why's the shop closed? Eternal Ink literally never closes. Ya'll were open last year on Christmas, who does that?"

Even before Silas spoke, Kai could feel the grin on his older brother's mouth radiating through the phone. "Ya see, Aurora and I came to an agreement kinda." There was a stiff yawn before he continued, "since our hard-working intern had the day off we decided we needed a break ourselves. Win-win kinda situation, ya know?"

"No, I don't know." When Kai's demeanor of pure annoyance hadn't broken up, Silas turned a bit more serious.

"What were you dropping by for anyways? Forget something in the shop? Just give Aurora a call and-"

Kai was pinching the bridge of his nose, eye squeezed shut as he took a seat on the door's front step. People had been pushing past him to get by, clearly ignoring his on-going crisis.

Snow fell onto his sweater, melting into the black fabric.

"Food." He said shortly in a low, huff of a tone.

"Ah- what?" Silas asked. Shuffling was heard on the other end and Kai caught the phrase _stop kissing me_ , as Silas moved about. Kai felt for Silas' boyfriend, he truly did. The man could probably never catch a break, living with his monstrosity of a brother.

"I needed _food_. I figured you or Aurora would have some left over here from last night. Felt like it was almost time I ate." He was sure to mumble the last part. "So, yeah."

"See this is why you should call before just going places,"

Kai was going to bite back but there was truth to Silas' words.

He rebuttaled anyhow, after not-so-careful consideration. "Or maybe stick to the schedule you guys made. The schedule that you made me edit onto the Parlor's website, and the Google search website,"

"Okay." Silas responded. "I get it-"

"Oh and I had to make flyers with the date and time openings too," Kai continued to ramble about, venting his frustrations. "Do you know how many of those flyers I had to hand out-"

"Do you want food or not?"

Kai bit his lips, the thought of feeding already making his mouth salivate and mind focus on just the food alone. "I do." He responded honestly.

"Give me an hour or two? Wait nearby the shop and I'll make the call," Silas sighed, doing something unknown on his end of the line. "I'm gonna get yelled at for ya. But I'll try okay?"

Kai was ready to complain again but bit his tongue instead. A few blocks nearby was where Bruce's Brews was and Kai was ready to waste the few free hours he had there, as he waited.

He'd get to see him again.

He got up from the freezing step, limbs already stiff and cold yet his annoyance defrosted as his mood shifted. "Call me when you're ready Silas."

"Ditto, kiddo."


	4. cs -3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations posted at the end of the chapter.

"What if I die Castel?"

"You'll be fine."

"Broken heart syndrome is real, ya know." Imani butted in with a shake of her head.

"What?!" Elias' cries could be heard a bit too loudly, but that hadn't stopped the dramatic show about to ensue. The customers in the cafe seemed to ignore the ruckus, but there was no doubt that the regulars were used to the antics that occurred behind the coffee bar.

That, or the sound of lo-fi music filling the air within Bruce's Brews cafe was much louder than their voices.

"Please don't get him started Imani."

"Castel," she retorted with a flick of her finger, "Elias deserves to know the truth. Science shows us that sudden emotional triggers can make us have symptoms like chest pains or even a heart attack because we're so devastated." The girl gave Elias a pitying look, her brown eyes meeting his blue ones. She utilized her intelligence for evil too many times, for Castel's liking.

"It was nice knowing you, my dear friend."

"Imani-" Castel was interrupted, the wind suddenly knocked out of him.

"Castel!" The blond clung to him, nearly toppling him and the drink he was making onto the ground, as actual tear streaks started to run down his cheeks. "I don't want to die alone! I didn't sign up for this!"

Now Imani was chuckling and Castel could literally see the devil ears pricking out from beneath her braids. Even when she was being mischievous and downright wrong, Imani appeared to glow. As he observed her, taking in her flawless dark skin and the mischievous glint tinting her eyes, Castel shook his head.

"Ima?" Castel started purposely using a nickname she had a distaste for.

"Yes dear?"

"Dude if you date me, then maybe I won't die-" Castel was quick to shove the palm of his hand against Elias' lips.

"You also forgot to tell him about the part where it has to be a traumatic or an actual life changing experience." Castel put down the container on a nearby counter, that held the frothed milk. "Like a death or super long marriage that ends divorce. Breaking up with your girlfriend of two weeks isn't feasible or else all teens would be havin' heart attacks everday, pendejo."

Elias seemed to come to his senses for the moment, lightening his grip on Castel's brown apron. "So I'm gonna be okay?"

The brunette had to close his eyes for a moment before letting out a stiff laugh. "You'll be more than okay Elias. That girl doesn't know what she's missing out on." Castel smiled as Elias completely released him from his grasp.

"I'm saying this seriously, if neither of us are married in the next year let's tie the knot."

And there he went off again, all logic left Elias' head and neither Imani nor Castel knew if he was asking as a joke or being completely serious.

"Absolutely not." Castel breathed out, a real laugh following his words this time.

"I'm thinking about a traditional Las Vegas wedding. Quick and easy, we can hit up the casinos right after too."

At his ridiculous request, Imani tugged on the back of Elias' shirt pulling him away from the boy who really just wanted to do his job. Castel was thankful for the new breathing room but was disappointed that he had to toss that milk in the nearby sink, since it had been sitting out too long and lost its fluffiness.

"Aquí vamos de nuevo." Imani had scoffed as she released Elias' shirt. He gave her a questioning look, but the girl tossed a paper towel soaked in cleaning spray towards Elias' hands. Imani then pointed to the nearby dirty table.

Elias easily compiled but gave her a quick side eye.

"¿Celoso?" Castel asked her, ignoring the offended expression that Imani gave him. As much as he meant to play along, Castel got distracted by the weather instead. The large glass windows on the opposite side of the cafe had shown the snow was no longer coming down in a light manner, and the speed and intensity of the white menace was starting to pick up.

Hell, even the sidewalks that were usually crammed with people seemed to be lighter in comparison to what was normal. For once, Castel could see the buildings across the street, that happened to be home to other small businesses and dining cafes. The white sleet meshed with the hanging city lights and decorative Christmas ones, gave an ambiance of beauty.

Though, he wasn't really focusing on the grand scenery. No, all Castel could think of was the fact that getting home was going to be really annoying.

"Sabelotodo."

"Bromeando, bromeando. Ve con calma, sabes lo sensible que es."

"I have no idea what you two are saying and that isn't really fair," Elias has popped back up, his small duty fulfilled.

Imani look towards the boy who seemed to shrink from his gaze, and Elias was already making a move to go cower behind Castel, despite being a good foot taller. "Castel was just telling me how hard you've been working and that you deserve a reward. I'll treat you after work, deal?"

"You know I don't turn down free food." Just like that, Elias' cheeky attitude was back as he went to Imani's side and was already rambling out a list of late night places they could go.

This was usually how the trio spent their shifts together- Imani and Elias being lively, and Castel was the poor soul being that balanced between the two.

But even as they chattered, Castel's mind was elsewhere. It was already filled with a to do list once his twelve hour shift was over. He had to continue job hunting, since working at the cafe wasn't going to cut it for his upcoming school fees- and while he thought on the subject of school, there was also a list of scholarships Castel still had to apply to and-

"Castel."

-he still had to find the funds and time to make a trip back home and visit-

"Castel!"

At the loudness of his tone, a few customers gave Elias a glowering stare. There was really nothing more terrifying than early morning women who hadn't finished their cups of coffee and fully awoken to the world.

"Yes, Elias?" He responded, then mouthing an 'I'm sorry' to the customers.

"I was just saying that you should come with us after work, we're gonna get some ice cream." Elias was smiling though his face couldn't mask how worried he was.

"Why bother asking when you know he's going to say no?" Imani butted in, her tone as blunt as ever. Though Imani's eyes appeared to be cast down at the glass display case filled with the baked goods that the cafe had to offer. "... We may be getting a fruit fly problem. Aren't they supposed to be dead this time of year?"

Maybe her change of subject had meant to lift the small tension that settled in the air, but the honesty of Imani's words still stung as they settled into Castel's ears. The only solace he found was in knowing that she did want Castel to come- but he always declined to hang out with the two outside of work.

There was still so much to be done and the winter break before the next semester began, only lasted so long.

"She's right Elias," Castel's brown eyes turned to Elias, as he fumbled with his fingers. "I have a lot to do after work and I'm staying behind to deep clean the back later. I need the hours. Be sure to eat a lot for me, though."

Elias, seeming to understand and not wanting to add pressure to the topic, changed the subject. "You look really cute when you think, ya know. Your dimples looked like massive craters when you pursed your lips-"

"Dear God," Castel rolled his eyes but was thankful that his friend never failed to make him smile.

"Hey Elias, your time with Castel up. His favorite guest is coming."

At the mention of the phrase 'favorite guest' the three turned their head towards the windows, and they all witnessed an all too familiar figure facing the endless snow and coming towards the cafe's door.

"He's not my favorite," Castel defended but he found it a little difficult to hide the smile coming onto his face.

"Okay but you're definitely his favorite." Imani retorted and Elias seemed to agree with a nod of his head.

"No, I just give good recommendations and you two suck at it."

"Castel he literally gives you a twenty dollar tip every time you make his order. If you don't make a move soon, I will." Elias replied and again, neither Castel or Imani could tell whether he was joking or not.

"Plus, you obviously think he's cute."

"Guys-"

Before he was able to properly respond, the familiar chime of Bruce's Brew's doorbell went off and in walked a figure that was messy due to the thick coat of snow. It was hard for Castel not to do a double take because granted, yes he may have been one of the most attractive people Castel had seen but that didn't mean he automatically had a crush on the guy.

"I'm gonna go do the dishes." Elias had stated, walking through the black pushable doors that led to the kitchen.

Castel's mouth went agape and he gave Imani a daring look, his patience wearing thin.

"I have to make sure the customers haven't died and I need to make a super formula to kill the fruit flies. You can handle the register and drinks by yourself, right?" There was a smile dancing on her lips, as she left from behind the bar and towards a group of guests who were doing quite fine on their own.

But there was no time for Castel to react before he was being approached, and boy did he really wish he could shrink back and melt into the different flavored syrups lined up behind him.

How could someone look so radiant, first thing in the morning? A bit of Castel became insecure- he hoped his brown curls were tamed and that his freckles didn't seem too blotchy against his amber skin.

But those thoughts didn't seem to matter as much as Castel looked up to silvery grey eyes and a cheeky smile, standing across the counter.

Kai was a little too bright.

"So," the soothing voice started, as Kai pretended to look around at the menu and gave his head a little shake, whipping off the white snow that clashed with the rich black of his hair. But the moment his eyes met the brunette's, Castel could feel his mouth go a little dry. "What would you recommend today?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Aquí vamos de nuevo. - Here we go again.
> 
> *¿Celoso?- Jealous?
> 
> *Sabelotodo. - Smart ass.
> 
> *Bromeando, bromeando. Ve con calma, sabes lo sensible que es. - Kidding, kidding. Go easy, you know how sensitive he is.


End file.
